


First Things First

by Bryn_Delgado



Series: The Adventures of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Questioning, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Child Neglect, Friendship, Gen, Goblins, Good Slytherins, Kid Fic, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Muggle Culture, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Not Beta Read, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Quidditch, Smart Harry Potter, Unbiased Harry Potter, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28701945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bryn_Delgado/pseuds/Bryn_Delgado
Summary: In his search for platform 9 and ¾, Harry receives help not from the Weasley family, but from two students like him, who know nothing about Hogwarts. This changes the course of events somewhat...Harry finds friends among different houses, is not as bad at learning as it might seem, gets into arguments with his Professor and learns about his parents and their friends.***Or a story about how one tiny event can lead to a friendship with snakes, a correspondence with a werewolf, a fight with a troll and a serious conversation with the headmaster about the right choice of guardians for children.And Draco is still a brat.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Hannah Abbot & Susan Bones & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Blaise Zabini, Harry Potter & Fred Weasley & George Weasley, Harry Potter & Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter & Original Male Character(s), Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter (mentioned), Minerva McGonagall & Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom & Harry Potter, Seamus Finnigan & Dean Thomas, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (mentioned), Theodore Nott & Harry Potter, Wolfstar (Mentioned Briefly)
Series: The Adventures of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103933
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	First Things First

**Author's Note:**

> Disclamer: I do not own any rights on Harry Potter' characters, the universe, names, and so on and I'm not trying to make money.
> 
> Recently, I decided to reread Harry Potter and I had a few questions for adults and teachers of Hogwarts, and at the same time I often saw posts that the magic community has a bias against the houses of Hogwarts, in particular Slytherin. So, the result - this work. Enjoy)

Harry looked around the platform and then down at the ticket in his hand again, hoping that the numbers would be different this time. But no such luck. He sighed in defeat, gripped the cart and was about to push it forward when a voice called out:

“Hello there! You, with an owl!”

Harry turned around and watched a girl around his age pull her own cart toward him with a friendly smile on her face. She had short wavy chestnut hair that did not quite reach her chin, though it was a little longer on the front than on the back. Light gray eyes, tanned skin and a huge black bruise under the right eye. Harry forced himself not to stare at it. The girl was wearing a Metallica shirt, jeans and sneakers. She was slightly shorter than Harry, which was somewhat unusual because for his age he was considered short. She looked rather slim, but her exposed arms were muscular. A small military green backpack was dangling from her right shoulder.

She stopped her cart next to his and smiled even wider. Harry wondered if the gesture hurt her. The girl nodded at Hedwig. “Hogwarts too?” She asked and Harry nodded eagerly. The girl grinned at him. “Great! I’m Mora.” She held out her hand. Harry shook it, smiling a little.

“I’m Harry and this is Hedwig,” He introduced. “Do you know where to go? I haven’t seen platform 9 and ¾ anywhere.” Mora shook her head but did not look upset at all.

“I have no idea. Forgot to ask,” She replied. Before Harry could open his mouth to point out that the train would be departing in thirty minutes, Mora said: “But Yance knows.”

Harry frowned. “Yance?” He asked, pushing his cart after Mora when she started moving again. The girl was alone, but maybe she had a relative with her.

“He is my friend.” She explained, looking around for someone. Then she let out a triumphant ‘A-ha!’ and tilted her head back to glance at Harry. “Here he is.”

Harry squinted at the boy she was pointing at. He had short maroon hair. On his cart was a trunk and a cauldron. He was dressed much like Mora, only his shirt had Guns n’ Roses emblem. He was staring down at something in his hands and only raised his head then Mora called his name. Harry was a bit startled to see a violet bruise on his left cheek. His eyes were a dark brown in contrast to Mora’s. And he was almost a head taller than her.

Yance waved at them and held out his hand for Harry then they got closer. “Hello. Name’s Yancy. Although I’m sure this menace already told you.” He said, shooting Mora a teasing glare. The girl only rolled her eyes. “I was wondering if you left me here to die.”

“Yes, yes, I’m terrible, I know.” She sighed dramatically. “But I think we should go now.” Mora said, tipping her head at the clock. They had only twenty minutes left. Yancy snorted, putting the notebook he was holding into his pocket and took hold of his cart.

“Sure, follow me.” He replied, pushing his cart forward. Mora and Harry followed him closely.

Harry had to press closer to Mora so that a family of redheads running by did not carry him off the track. He heard them talking about the platform 9 and ¾ and perked up a bit. They were going into the right direction. He tried to keep them in sight, silently counting them. But they soon were lost in the crowd.

When they caught up with the red-haired family, two children were missing. Harry didn’t understand where they had gone, but then he watched with a mixture of delight and horror as one of the boys ran right through the wall. “This is normal?” He whispered to Mora. She just shrugged.

“Likely.”

They waited for the red-haired family to pass and only then they came closer to the magical passage. Yancy casually leaned on the wall, looking around the platform with a lazy glance and disappeared at one point. Mora and Harry followed him.

Harry examined the magical platform in delight. Everything here felt different, so colorful and lively. The entire platform was packed with people, carts and animals. Parents said goodbye to their children, teenagers tried to find friends and their younger siblings ran on the platform.

This time Mora stepped forward, pushing the cart in front of her. She easily maneuvered between people, Harry and Yancy only had to keep up with her. They climbed onto the train, helping each other with their trunks. Every compartment they passed was occupied. Finally, they found an empty one and entered it with relief.

Glancing at the shelves above their heads, Mora and Yancy shared a mischievous look and the girl smirked. To Harry’s surprise, Yancy bent down, Mora shook off her sneakers, approached him from behind and climbed on his shoulders. He straightened up and looked at Harry. “Pass us the trunks, will you?” He asked. Harry nodded, hurrying to comply.

Yancy took the first trunk, belonging to him, and passed it to Mora. As soon as his hands were free, he held onto her ankles, to keep her balanced. Mora huffed and put the trunk on the shelf. Neither of them showed any signs that it was heavy while Harry knew that it was quite the opposite. He could only marvel at them.

“How do you guys do it?” Harry wondered, watching them move with ease. Mora smiled down at him, blowing a lock of hair away from her eyes.

“Practice.” She responded, pushing the second trunk deeper onto the shelf. “Yancy lived with a circus for several years and practiced with the gymnasts. And then he taught me. So we try to keep ourselves in shape. Plus, we play football.” Harry gave Yancy an interested look.

“I’ve never been to a circus. Is it as much fun as people say?” He asked eagerly.

Mora hit Yancy lightly on the chest with her heel. He gave her a halfhearted glare and turned to take the last trunk from Harry. “Yes, it is. During the performance, it’s just fabulous. Music plays, people laugh. My circus did not work with animals, preferring to show human performances, so most of the troupe were gymnasts. There were, of course, clowns, strongmen, dancers and a couple magicians.” Yancy was clearly happy to talk about his life experience. And then his smile turned sad. “But that was a long time ago. I don’t even remember many of the people I used to know.” He admitted. Harry felt a little bad for bringing it up and wanted to apologize but Mora leaned forward and bopped Yancy on the nose.

“But you met me.” She said brightly. Yancy snorted.

“But I met you.” He agreed, smiling.

When finished, Mora simply jumped down, landing on her haunches. Yancy sat down on the left side of the table, next to the window. Mora sat opposite, putting her shoes back on. Harry decided to sit next to her. The girl smiled at him, easing down some tension he was feeling. Something told him she had that effect on people.

“So,” He started, leaning back onto the seat. “How much do you know about Hogwarts?” Harry asked, gaze shifting between them in interest. Mora made a considering noise, reaching into her backpack.

“Not much. Just what we read in school books and heard from others.” She drew a lunchbox out, placing it on the table. Harry figured out that they probably grew up with muggles, like him. It cheered him a bit, reducing his fear slightly. “Hogwarts is a large ancient castle where witchcraft is taught.” Mora said, frowning down at the backpack, searching for something in it. “Students are divided into four houses.” She muttered and paused, tilting her head in thoughts. “Although nowhere is mentioned how. Will we be simply asked or will we have to pass some kind of test?” She wondered out loud, raising an eyebrow at Yancy. “What do you think?” The boy hummed.

“I don’t know. Does not really matter.” He replied. Harry furrowed his brows.

“Why? Don’t you worry?” He questioned.

Yancy shook his head. “I don’t see a reason to worry about something I cannot change.” Harry nodded jerkily and gulped. He was very nervous himself. He knew nothing about magic. Nothing at all. And if they had to write some kind of test, then he would definitely fail and would be sent back to Dursleys and–

A gentle hand squeezed his, breaking his racing thoughts. Harry gulped, glancing on his right at Mora. She did not look disgusted or mad. She was not even confused. And she gave him a little smile as he met her gaze. “You back with us?” Harry gulped and nodded. Then she placed something into his hand. Harry looked down to find a bar of chocolate in a rustling wrapper. “Makes you feel better.” Mora explained with a wink, passing another bar to Yancy. Harry smiled at her sheepishly and went to open the chocolate.

They did not ask him about his little moment of panic. Instead, Yancy talked about Hogwarts’ history. He was a good storyteller and explained everything Harry did not understand from the books he read earlier and answered all the questions Harry had. If he did not know the answer, Mora stepped in with a joke or an assumption.

Harry couldn’t understand the relationship between the two of them. Sure, Mora said they were friends and they acted like they’d known each other for a long time. But something more specific? Maybe they were cousins, or lived close to each other, or their families were friends? He itched to ask but did not want to pry. He decided to question them later.

About an hour passed in this way. The train has long since moved off and different landscapes flashed outside the window. It was very beautiful and, in that hour, Harry saw more different places than in his entire life. Eventually, they reached the houses.

“There are four houses in Hogwarts – Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.” Yancy listed. “The most famous is probably Gryffindor. Its’ emblem is a lion. The house represents fire and therefore the main colors are red and gold. It is believed that those who have such qualities as courage, chivalry, determination and bravery go there.” Harry made a considering noise. Gryffindor sounded interesting. And Hagrid said his father was in Gryffindor. Although it did not really mean anything.

“Next comes the most notorious – Slytherin. It has a serpent emblem. This house represents water, so the colors are green and silver.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense if it was blue? Where did you see the green water?” Harry blurted out without thinking. Mora snorted next to him. Harry felt a flush creep up his face.

“Maybe it means swamp water?” She said in a teasing voice, grinning at Harry. “There everything is covered in swale and duckweed. Never seen anything greener.” She snarked and Yancy threw a rolled chocolate wrapper at her. Mora dodged easily and stuck out her tongue at him. Yancy heaved an exasperated sigh.

“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted,” He said, giving them both a hard look. Harry and Mora sneaked a glance at each other and just grinned. “Those who are ambitious, creative, smart, cunning and proud go to Slytherin. Also, due to the fact that Salazar Slytherin valued blood status, thus pure bloods or half-bloods get there most often.”

Harry’s mind went back to the white-haired boy from the clothing store. He sounded so bored and dull. And he mentioned going into Slytherin. And then he remembered Hagrid’s words about all Slytherins being dark wizards. He did not know what to think of it. On the one hand, he believed Hagrid and that boy did not help to change his opinion of this house in a positive way. But on the other hand... All his neighbors and everyone at school believed he was weird just because the Dursleys said so. Maybe it’s the same situation here? Harry shook himself and focused back on Yancy.

“So, Ravenclaw. They’ve got an eagle. Its’ colors are blue and bronze, air. The house values intelligence, an ability to think outside the box, creativity, wit and love for learning.” Harry thought it sounded nice and probably would suit Yancy well.

“And last but not least, Hufflepuff. Badger emblem, yellow and black, earth. Hufflepuffs are honest, loyal, fair, hard-working and friendly. They are usually accepting and value everyone and treat them as equal.” Yancy finished and took a sip of his water from a bottle.

Harry thought about Hagrid’s and the boy’s words again. “I’ve heard that only duffers get into Hufflepuff.” He said hesitantly. To his relief, neither of them laughed or got offended. Instead, Mora just tipped her head to look at him.

“And I’ve heard that only dark wizards get into Slytherin.” She replied and took a bite of her chocolate. “And that Gryffindors are brainless idiots, ready to take a running leap into the nearest dangerous situation. And Ravenclaws are arrogant nerdy bookworms. Stereotypes are common for every home and perhaps they are true, to some extent.” Mora paused for a moment. “But judging the whole group by the actions of just one is a little silly, don’t you think?”

Yancy nodded in agreement. “Besides, we haven’t met any of them yet. So, I propose to first reconnoiter the situation, and then draw conclusions.” Harry quietly agreed with him. Inwardly, he was glad that his new acquaintances were just as clueless about the magic world as he was. He would not want to be influenced by someone else’s opinion and judge things that he didn’t really know anything about. It was a whole new world for him! He had an opportunity to make friends he always dreamed about and study to his fullest, not the way the Dursleys wanted. Maybe he even would be able to get away from his aunt and uncle…

“Such big words, Yance. How Ravenclaw of you.” Mora teased her friend with a grin. Yancy just raised his right eyebrow at her. “But you know, I think the distribution based on personal qualities is a little strange. What, if I got into Hufflepuff then I’m not brave? Or what if I have several strong qualities inherent in different houses?” She questioned and Harry had to admit it made sense.

“Maybe not only personal qualities are taken into account, but also something else?” He suggested. Yancy hummed thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the table.

“I guess.” He mumbled and then, there was a knock. The door slid open revealing a woman with a trolley. She smiled at them.

“Good afternoon, young gentlemen and lady. Anything you want?” Yancy leaned forward, examining the assortment with interest. Harry joined him. He did not recognize most of the presented sweets, so he decided not to think about it too deeply.

“We’ll take everything.” He said with a smile, pulling a handful of galleons out of his pocket. Yancy raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing. Mora simply chuckled.

Soon their table was littered with colorful boxes and packages. They had a lot of fun trying new things, laughing and chatting and Harry finally felt relaxed enough to ask about the bruises.

“Oh, it’s nothing. We just got into a fight with the neighbor’s children,” Mora said, easily catching the fleeing chocolate frog. “They tried to bully a little boy on the street. We interfered.”

Harry looked between them. “How often do you get into fights?”

“Pretty often,” Yancy replied offhandedly. “Sorry, can I?” He asked, gesturing towards Harry’s face, slightly confusing him.

“Glasses,” Mora supplied helpfully, not even looking up from the note on Morgana Le Fay’s card that she’d found. “He wants to fix your glasses. They’ve been driving him mad since the moment he saw them.”

“Oh,” Harry breathed in surprise taking off his glasses and handing them to Yancy. He wondered how Mora knew it, since he did not hear them talking about it. Maybe they just knew each other that well?

Everything around him was blurry but he saw Yancy drawing his wand and pointing it at Harry's glasses. ‘ _Reparo_.’ He said and then nodded in satisfaction. He returned the glasses to Harry.

Harry gasped when he put them back on. The frame became whole again and the cracks disappeared.

“Thank you!” Harry said earnestly. Yancy only smiled.

“It’s nothing,” He replied. For a moment he seemed to hesitate. “Harry, do you-”

Before he could continue, the compartment door opened again. A girl with long bushy hair appeared. She was already wearing her school uniform. The girl looked around and sighed in disappointment. “Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost his toad. I’m helping him find it. So, have you seen her or not?” She asked in a sharp tone when she didn’t get an immediate answer.

Harry shook his head. “Sorry, no.” The girl sighed again. Her gaze fell on Yancy’s wand still in his hand.

“Are you already doing magic? Let’s take a look.” She stepped inside, closing the door behind her and took an empty seat next to Yancy, staring at him expectantly. Yancy glanced at Mora and, to Harry’s surprise, winked at him.

He turned to the girl, raising his wand up. ‘ _Lumos_.’ The tip of his wand lit up with a bright white light. Harry gasped. It seemed to him that no matter how many times he had seen and would see magic again, it would never cease to amaze him.

The girl nodded approvingly. And there was something about her gesture that reminded Harry vaguely of his old teacher. She also looked like that when her students completed the task correctly. “Oh, great. Did you learn this spell from the textbook? I also practiced a few and they all worked. I was very surprised when I received the letter, there are no wizards in my family. Well, it was a pleasant surprise. So of course, I’ve already learned all our textbooks. I’m Hermione Granger, by the way. And you?” The girl rattled off and looked at Yancy.

Yancy offered her a polite smile. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger. I’m Yancy, this is Mora and Harry.” He introduced pointing at each of them in turn. Hermione’s gaze immediately zeroed on Harry’s forehead.

“You are Harry Potter!” She exclaimed. Harry gave her an awkward smile and shifted a bit away from her, suddenly getting uncomfortable. Throughout his life, close attention never boded well.

“And you are Hermione Granger, as we established.” Mora cut in sweetly, smiling innocently at the other girl. “Yancy and I have surnames, too, you know. It’s not that surprising.”

Hermione did not seem to catch on Mora’s jab. Her attention was solely on Harry.

“I’ve read so much about you!” She told him, either not noticing how tense he got or ignoring it. “I bought a few books that were not on the list, just for myself and your name is mentioned in many. You’re very famous! Which I don’t think is surprising, since you were able to do the impossible.” Harry’s smile became more and more forced with each Hermione’s word. Thankfully, Yancy cut her off.

“Oh, I’m glad you mentioned that. Do you happen to know how it became known what exactly happened then?” Seeing the girl’s uncomprehending look, he explained: “As far as I know, Harry was just over a year old. I doubt that baby was able do something that the whole country couldn’t. And I highly doubt that he remembers anything at all about that time, let alone the impossible thing he did. So how do people know that was him?” Despite the fact that Yancy was talking about the day his parents died, Harry didn’t feel bad about it. Rather he felt grateful that at least someone understood how he felt. Hagrid didn’t. Mora squeezed his hand on the seat and smiled reassuringly.

Hermione looked a little lost. “Huh. I never thought about it. And the books did not mention anything,” She muttered, frowning. “I’ll have to check the others. Oh, by the way, do you know which house you’re going to end up in? I’m hoping for Gryffindor, it seems like the best option. Oh, I should go, I have to keep looking for Neville’s toad.” He declared, standing up. Just before the door closed, she said: “See you later.”

Mora hummed thoughtfully, gaze lingering on the closed door. “She’s a little... assertive.”

Harry nodded in agreement. “Thank you,” He whispered. Yancy and Mora looked at him in surprise.

“Harry,” Mora began slowly.” I know that we just met, but I hope that we will become good friends, so you should know something about us right away.” She grinned at his alarmed look.

Yancy smirked. “Don’t worry, Harry. Mora just wants to say that our lives have not been easy either.” Harry worried his lower lip between his teeth, avoiding looking at either of them. “And since no one will take care of us, we stand up for ourselves and each other. So, if you need us, we will always support you.”

“Or to let you know that you’re being an idiot,” Mora chimed in with a teasing grin. Harry found himself smiling back at her.

“What, you’ll keep me from getting a big head?” He said, intending to make it sound like a joke, but Yancy’s eyes suddenly gleamed suspiciously.

“Sure,” He grinned. “And if that doesn’t work, there are always shrinking potions.” Harry laughed. But still… something was bothering him. He turned to face Mora.

“Is that why you called out to me on the platform? Because you knew who I was?” He really did not want it to be the reason but he did want to know the truth.

Mora blinked at him. “Harry, I only found out about you at the bookstore. And then only because some witch was talking very loud about meeting the Savior himself in some pub. I did not know how you looked, besides the fact that you had a scar. And, well, I could not have seen it, since I only saw your back.” She sounded genuine and Harry lowered his head in shame. “Hey, no, none of that,” She said, frowning. Harry raised his eyes back at her, confused.

“What?” He asked. Mora shook her head.

“Don’t even try to feel guilty for being cautious. If I were you, I’d also like to know what kind of people I’m surrounded by.” Harry bit the inside of his cheek.

“Yeah,” He drawled. “Still, I’m sorry.” Mora rolled her eyes.

“Don’t be, it’s really nothing.” She assured Harry.

Yancy choose that moment to lean forward on the table. “Do you think Hogwarts has a stadium?” He wondered out loud. Mora and Yancy started discussing sport and somehow pulled Harry into the conversation. He sheepishly admitted that he didn’t play any sports other than PE at school and running away from his cousin.

Mora simply huffed. “That’s fine. Do you _like_ running?” She asked. Harry took a moment to think before answering. Running made him feel free, when he was doing it just because he wanted to, not because someone was chasing him. He nodded and Mora returned the gesture. “If you want, you can join our morning runs. It takes about an hour, so we get up early. And when you get a little used to it, you can go to more intense workouts.” Harry beamed at her and Mora shoved him lightly. “As for football, well, you don’t need much – just know the rules and a ball.” Mora continued with a grin. “And I’m sure a lot of other muggle-borns would like to play. If they don’t do it already.”

Then Mora mentioned Quidditch and Harry and Yancy tried to guess what it might be. Mora only laughed at their suggestions and teased them. One of her jokes made all three of them double over with laughter. It was at this moment that the compartment door opened again. Harry forced himself to stop laughing and looked up at the newcomers. He immediately recognized the boy in the center – he was the one who wanted to get into Slytherin. Two larger boys stood on either side of him, making the boy seem smaller.

The boy was looking intently at Harry. “Is that true?” He asked. “Everyone says that Harry Potter is in this compartment. It’s you, correct?”

Harry nodded carefully. “Yes.”

The boy lazily pointed at his companions. “This is Crabbe and that’s Goyle.” He said carelessly. “I’m Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.”

Mora leaned forward to take a better look at the boy. “Is it short for Draconius?” The boy blinked at her, startled.

“No, it’s a full version.” He answered and in surprise, he lost the pompous tone he had used before. Mora smiled at him.

“Well then, nice to meet you, Draco. I’m Mora.” Draco nodded perplexedly. Apparently, it was not the reaction he was used to. Mora nodded at the still quiet Yancy. “This is Yance,” The boy waved at them. Draco seemed to snap out of his stupor.

“Another Weasley?” Yancy raised an eyebrow at him.

“What led you to this conclusion?” Malfoy huffed.

“Red-haired, in rags, not difficult to guess.” He shrugged, giving Yancy’s clothes a disgusted look. Harry did not see anything wrong with it, he thought that out of six of them he was the one in rags, but apparently Malfoy had another opinion.

Yancy simply cocked his head. “According to your logic, I should be related to thousands of Irish.” He pointed out with a smile. “And no, I’m not ‘another Weasley’, as you eloquently put. I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting any of them yet.”

Draco snorted. “A dubious pleasure. A family with more children than their parents can afford.” And after that comment, Harry finally decided that he didn’t really like Draco.

Meanwhile, Malfoy turned his attention back at Harry. “You’ll find out pretty soon that there are several wizarding dynasties in our world that are much better than the rest, Potter. You can call it elite, I guess. You shouldn’t be friends with people who don’t deserve it. I can help you figure it out.” He held out his hand to Harry. He squinted at it doubtfully.

“Why?” Malfoy startled.

“Why what?”

Harry gestured at his hand. “Why would you want to help me or be my friend? You don’t know me. What if you won’t like me or I won’t like you?” Malfoy’s mouth fell open. Harry just shook his head. “No, that won’t go. And just so you know – I'm not going to be friends with someone who bullies others.” Malfoy’s cheeks flashed bright pink.

“You’ll regret this decision, Potter.” He hissed.

“We’ll see,” Harry replied, causing Malfoy and his minions to storm out, banging the door shut.

Mora winced slightly at the loud sound. “Ouch,” Yance said. Harry nodded in agreement. Mora hummed wistfully.

“That didn’t go very well.” She commented absently. And then suddenly, she turned to beam at Harry. “Congratulations, we've just made our first enemy!” Harry could not help himself. She looked so pleased. He bursted out laughing. Yance followed suit, chuckling.

A minute later, an older boy knocked, peeking in their compartment. “We’re arriving soon. You should change now.” Yance and Harry walked out to let Mora change first. They were talking quietly then someone called from behind:

“Oh-ho-ho! Who do we have here?” Harry turned to see two red-haired boys in red uniform. He vaguely recognized them as the redhead twins from the platform. They looked at Harry and Yancy with identical grins.

“Well, well, well,” Said the one on the left. “Firsties, am I right?”

“I’m sure you are,” Replied his brother. “You must be worried,”

“An unfamiliar place,” The first one started.

“Strange people with twinkling sticks,” His brother picked up, both twins now grinning deviously at them.

“The fight with a troll that is waiting for you.” The boy said musingly. Harry saw Yancy raise an eyebrow at him.

“But don’t tell anyone what we told you,”

“It’s supposed to be a secret,”

“But we felt like you needed a warning,”

“So that you don’t get too scared when you see it,”

“I’m tired of firsties fainting every year,”

“It was fun the first time,”

“But then it quickly became obsolete, didn’t it, Fred?”

“It did, George.” The twins smirked at the pair. Yancy huffed.

“Thank you for the warning. We shall heed it with utmost respect.” He replied seriously. The red-heads blinked at him in puzzlement, clearly trying to figure out if he was teasing them. Then slowly, two grins appeared on their faces.

“Oooh, I like this one.” Said Fred.

“It looks like this year will be interesting,” Replied his brother. And his eyes fell on Harry. Or to be more precise, on his forehead. Harry sighed inwardly, knowing what was about to come. “Blimey, you’re Harry Potter!” Harry nodded, already tired of all of this.

“Yes, I am. And you are George. And this is Fred. That’s Yancy, nice to meet you.” He drawled. George stared at him for a few second before turning to Fred with a smirk.

“I like this one too,” Fred narrowed his eyes at Harry and nodded slowly.

“Agreed.” Suddenly, Harry and Yancy were sandwiched between two boys, who threw their arms around their shoulders.

“So, firsties, listen here,”

“We find you two wonderfully interesting,”

“Which means that we’ll be watching you,”

“Have fun,”

“See you later.” With that, they let go and continued on down the train. Harry stared after them, then turned to Yancy.

“Do you think we’ll really have to fight a troll?” He asked worriedly. Yancy shook his head.

“I think these two were just trying to scare us. We’re an easy target.” He replied, gesturing at their muggle clothes. “Besides, trolls are in the XXXX category. There is no way a school full of underage children would have a troll on its ground.” Harry cocked his head.

“What’s an XXXX category?”

“It’s a special Ministry of Magic classification for creatures. If a creature is in the XXXX category, it means it is dangerous, requires special knowledge, and only trained wizards should handle it. It can also classify creatures that are endangered or just too difficult to capture, rather than being dangerous.” Yancy explained, pressing himself to the wall to let a group of girls in blue robes pass.

Harry nodded, filling the information. “How do you know it?” He wondered. Yancy reached into his pocket and gave Harry the notebook he was reading earlier. Harry opened it and saw numerous notes and sketches of various magical and non-magical creatures and animals.

“I like fauna.” Yancy said with a little shrug.

“I think it’s amazing.” Harry admitted, examining the drawing carefully. “You clearly are a talented artist.” Yancy smiled at the compliment.

Mora opened the door and stepped out, ushering them inside. Harry and Yancy quickly changed and let her in.

The rest of the ride was spent in meaningless chatter. And soon, the train stopped.

They left their baggage behind and walked out. All around them students from the other years were laughing and talking.

Harry looked around and then a familiar voice called out: “Firs’ years, firs’ years! Come ‘ere!” Hagrid boomed, waving his huge hand around. Mora caught Harry’s hand in hers and held onto Yancy’s sleeve, so they would not be separated from each other during the commotion. “Hey, ya, that yer toad?” Hagrid asked a blond-haired boy.

“Trevor!” Neville, apparently, exclaimed happily, taking the toad from Hagrid.

Hagrid led them down a narrow, dark path through the woods. The ground was slippery, so many others slipped and almost fell. Mora and Yancy maintained a pretty good balance and helped Harry to stay upright. Even more, Yancy caught a petite blond girl who almost faceplanted on the ground and offered her his elbow to hold on to. The girl blushed a bit but accepted.

“Thank you.” She murmured. “I’m Hannah.” The girl said with a slightly crooked smile, straining her neck to look at Harry and Mora. Yancy smiled at her.

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Yancy, these two are Mora and Harry.” He introduced, nodding at them. Hannah’s smile lost a bit of an edge and looked more genuine now. Mora peeked at her over Yancy’s shoulder and grinned.

“Now, hold on tight, that turn here does not look very inviting.” She warned, nodding at the path ahead of them, where several other students struggled not to fall. Hannha gulped a bit and held onto Yancy with both hands.

Soon they were out of the woods, and Harry’s breath caught in his throat. In front of him was a huge dark lake, and small boats were tied up near the shore. And behind the lake, on the mountainside, there was a huge old castle. Harry had only seen them in history books. The castle had several towers, stone walls, narrow long windows and a huge staircase.

“Wow,” Mora said, taking the castle in. “How many people must be there.” She muttered, while she and Yancy helped Hannah climb into the boat. Yancy jumped into it next, followed by Mora and together they helped Harry in.

Hagrid ordered the boats to go forward and they took off across the lake. Soon they were out on the shore and followed Hagrid to the castle. He stopped at a huge wooden door and knocked loudly on it.

The door swung open and a woman in a peaked hat and green robe appeared in the doorway. She looked them over sternly, and Harry shivered a little under her gaze. “The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall.” Hagrid said. The woman thanked him and told them to follow her, opening the door wider.

Professor McGonagall led them down a huge stone hall and into a small room. She gave them another stern look. “Welcome to Hogwarts. I’m sure you are nervous and eager to join the rest of the school. But first you will be sorted. It is a very important ceremony, which will determine your future in Hogwarts. Your house will become your second family.” She stated calmly, giving a red-headed boy a pointed look, which made him blush for some reason. Harry pondered for a moment if he was related to Fred and George or not, when quickly dropped that thought, focusing back on Professor McGonagall.

“The ceremony will start shortly, in front of the rest of the school,” She informed them and stepped closer to a small wooden door. “Please, be quiet while waiting.” With that, she walked away.

Others immediately started whisper among themselves.

“What kind of ceremony is this?” Harry heard someone ask. He turned to see a dark-skinned boy looking questioningly at the redhead. The redhead shrugged.

“Dunno. Must be some kind of test.” He replied. Harry’s heart seized painfully.

But before he could work himself into a full panic attack Mora squeezed his hand and whispered: “It’ll be alright.” Harry gulped and nodded. And then someone behind him screamed.

Suddenly, Mora yanked his arm and somehow, he and Hannah ended up behind Mora and Yancy, who looked like they were preparing for a fight. And Harry saw the reason for the screams. Twenty or so transparent bluish ghosts flew through the wall into the room, startling the students. Harry stared at them. But before anything could happen, Professor McGonagall returned and called for them to follow.

They entered a huge room. Harry tried to see everything at once, marveling at the beauty of the ceiling, which looked like the night sky. Distantly, he could hear Hermione explaining something about it, but he wasn’t actually listening. Finally, they stopped in the aisle between the tables. Harry looked ahead and saw a battered-looking hat on a stool. And exactly a second later, the hat began to sing.

When it was over, the entire hall burst into a round of applause. Professor McGonagall pulled out a yellowish scroll and looked at them. “When I say your name, come and put on the hat.” She glanced down at the scroll. “Abbot, Hannah.” She called.

Next to Yancy, Hannah’s face went white. Mora patted her shoulder encouragingly and pushed her forward lightly. Hannah stumbled forward, sat down on the stool and put on the hat. After a few beats of silence, the hat suddenly yelled: “Hufflepuff!”

The table at which the students in yellow uniforms were sitting exploded with applause, and the whole hall followed them. Hannah pulled off her hat, blushed, and moved to the table. Mora, Harry and Yancy clapped along with everyone else, smiling happily at her. Hannah smiled back at them briefly and waved. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall called the next one. Susan Bones, who also got in Hufflepuff and sat down next to Hannah.

Several students were sorted like this and then Millicent Bulstrode became the first student of Slytherin. Harry noted that the applause in her case was not as loud as with other houses, only Slytherins clapping genuinely. He, Mora, and Yancy looked at each other and started clapping loudly and shouting in support of the girl. She gave them a startled look and headed for her table. Then a few more students were sorted, Hermione and Neville both got into Gryffindor, although the hat thought about Neville for quite a long time.

Malfoy got Slytherin just like he wanted. Two more were sorted, a girl named Sarah Moon got into Ravenclaw and Theodore Nott in Slytherin and then–

“Ogilvie, Yancy.” Professor McGonagall called. Yancy flashed them both a bright grin and walked to the stool. He placed the hat on his head and Harry held his breath.

And he had to start breathing again pretty soon, since Yancy sat on the stool probably as long as Neville, until the hat finally shouted: “SLYTHERIN!” At the same time, Harry and Mora began to applaud loudly. Mora even whistled. Yancy grinned at them and sat down next to Nott.

Professor McGonagall threw a stern glance in their direction but continued on. And soon, she was calling for–

“Potter, Harry.”

Harry gave Mora’s hand a final squeeze and moved forward. He tried to ignore the whispers around him, looking only at the hat. He sat down on a stool, put on his hat, and was swallowed up by darkness. All sounds were muffled, and he could hear the hat rustling on his head as it slid down. And then there was a soft voice. “Potter, right? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Well, let’s see what we have here.” The hat hummed. “A kind heart, a good mind... and a great desire for justice... Where should I put you?” It asked rhetorically.

Unintentionally, Harry thought about his conversation with Yancy and Mora and what he’d seen in the hall, how people treated the houses and their students. _‘Put me where I can make a difference.’_ He thought. The hat made a humming noise, like it was surprised.

“You wish to change things, young Potter? Very well, I wish you luck. And you shall be in–”

“– GRYFFINDOR!” The hat yelled and Harry tagged it up, head spinning.

The first thing he noticed was a grinning Mora, who was cheering loudly. The Gryffindor table was in uproar, students literally jumping from their seats. Fred and George even chanted: “We got Potter! We got Potter!” Harry smiled so wide; his cheeks hurt.

 _‘Thank you,’_ He thought briefly, before taking the hat off completely and heading toward his house table. Somehow, unbeknownst to him, he found himself sitting between the twins, who were grinning at him. “Well, hello Harry,” said the one on the right, who was probably Fred.

“We’re glad to see you again,” the left one said. Harry chuckled and returned his attention to the ceremony. There were only five students left – a rather tall, dark-haired boy, a red-haired one, a short girl with glasses, a shorter dark-skinned boy with close-shaven hair and Mora, who winked when he saw Harry looking at her.

The tall boy – Dean Thomas, and the redhead – Ronald Weasley, got into Gryffindor, Ronald’s brothers congratulated him warmly. The girl with the glasses – Lisa, went to Ravenclaw and Blaise, the last boy, went to Slytherin. A sneaky look in that direction revealed Yancy in a deep conversation with Nott and a black-haired girl with pale, almost white skin – Daphne or something. And then finally–

“Zircon, Morana.” Mora walked to the hat and before her face disappeared under it, winked at Harry. Next to him George snorted.

“Found a girlfriend already? You work fast,” He teased, ignoring Harry’s protests.

Mora’s sorting was long. If Harry has to guess, he would bet that it was the longest today. Judging by the looks on Professors’ faces, he was not far from truth. He caught Yancy’s eyes and gave him a questioning look. The other boy just shook his head in response. When Professor McGonagall looked ready to walk closer, the heat declared: “GRYFFINDOR!”

The hall breathed a sigh of relief. Mora happily skipped toward Harry, pushed George a little until he moved and sat down next to him.

“Hey,” She said, grinning at Harry. He found himself smiling in answer.

“Hey,” He replied. “I’m glad you’re here.” He whispered. And then smirked deviously. “Your surname is Zircon?” He teased. Mora gave him a light shove and they both turned to listen to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore stood up, said a really weird speech and clapped his hands. Harry and Mora shared a look.

This year would be interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> Yep. Here we go.


End file.
